


Second Chances

by StarfletheGreat, waddledab



Category: Kirby (Video Games)
Genre: AU, Gen, Major Pie Death, Post-Kirby's Dreamland 2, Redemption AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-19
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-08-15 09:30:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8051116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarfletheGreat/pseuds/StarfletheGreat, https://archiveofourown.org/users/waddledab/pseuds/waddledab
Summary: After the battle over the Rainbow Drops, what if the Dark Matter Swordsman had simply dropped to the planet like Kirby had, instead of dissipating into nothingness? What if the two ran into each other again? What if Kirby offered them the chance to redeem themself, and learn Pop Star's ways?





	1. A New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby's friends find a strange, unconscious being in the forest and he decides to help them. Will the mysterious stranger wake up and recover from their wounds? Or was Kirby too late? Who could they possibly be, and why are they so different from other life forms?

**Plunging from the sky, sinking like a pebble in a river. Head reeling, world spinning, all a blinding explosion of sensation.**

**One by one, the 'petals' given to the Swordsman are stripped off and dissipate into nothingness...**

**They scream out to their brethren, but only receive silence.**

...

Without knocking, one of Kirby's newer friends-- a Parasol Waddle Dee named Aivey-- bursts open his door, panting. "H-Hey, Kirby! Come check this out! We found this, uh... creepy dark blob thing in the woods!"

Kirby shuts the book of recipes he's reading. "What? Show me!" He all but throws his book to the side.

"C-c'mon!" Aivey waves Kirby over. "I-it's all smoky and squishy and stuff!" With that, they hurry out the door, with Kirby not too far behind. He sprints after them, his feet pounding against the ground.

After running through the woods for almost ten minutes, they arrive at the scene. A Bronto Burt, a Poppy Bro Jr., and a few other Waddle Dees stand in a circle, cautiously watching what appears to be some strange orb. It seems to have no visible features-- no eyes, or noses, or even a mouth, but it's covered in cuts and slices of various sizes and depths. They all appear to be from the same weapon and smoke emits from each of them. Its midsection rises and falls slowly as if in labored breathing, and the entire thing trembles.

"What should we do, Kirby...?" Aivey asks, a nub up to their cheek.

Kirby kneels next to it. Good, they're still breathing. "I need you to listen very closely..." He says, struggling to maintain a calm attitude. "Grab a first aid kit from my house. Whoever this is, they need help." He looks back up at Aivey. "Now!"

Aivey nods quickly, running back towards Kirby's house.

One of the other Waddle Dees walks over to Kirby with their 'eyebrows' furrowed and clears their throat. "...You don't think... it's one of those weird... Dark Matter things that attacked the kingdom not too long ago, right?"

Kirby pauses. "I-I..." He puts a hand up to his chin. "I really don't know... But whoever they are, we can't ignore a person in need." He turns to the Waddle Dee and gives a forced smile. "A-and besides, maybe they've changed! Everyone deserves a second chance, right?"

"Hmm... If you say so, Kirby..." they say, arching an 'eyebrow'. "I just think... I-If it _does_  turn out to a Dark Matter... Well, I just think it'd be safer for the _rest_ of us if you just, y'know..." They draw a hand across their face with a "krrrsht" sound.

Kirby's blood turns to ice.

"H-how could you even _think_ of something like that?" He cries. "That's horrible! That's... Horrible..." His eyes start to well up with tears, but he quickly wipes them away. This was absolutely no time to be crying! "I-I mean... Don't you think it's wrong to take a life? Maybe we could just... Give them another chance..."

"I dunno, Kirby." The Waddle Dee crosses their nubs. "Considering all the trouble they caused, and what they could possibly _do_... What if it _possesses_ one of us, huh? What if it possesses _you_? We'd _all_ be done for, then!"

Kirby stands. "I... won't let that happen, okay? So don't worry." He gives them an optimistic smile.

The Waddle Dee shrugs. "Like I said before, if you say so..."

...

Before too much longer, Aivey returns, nearly out of breath. "H-here! I got the first aid kit for you, Kirby...!" They exclaim, huffing every other word.

Kirby gives a big smile. "Oh, thank you! I swear, I'll pay you back for this."

"O-oh, it's no problem..." Aivey huffs, plopping on the ground. "I just don't think I'll do any more _running_ today..." they chuckle.

Kirby hadn't even been paying attention. He plucks the antiseptic bottle out of the case. "I really hope I'm doing this right..." He mutters to himself.

As Kirby applies the antiseptic to a wound, it hisses and sputters like a water droplet on a hot skillet pan. The orb twitches some, and everyone jumps back, but it doesn't respond otherwise.

"Um... UUh, don't panic! I-I-I've got everything under control!" Kirby wipes the antiseptic off and swallows. _What now?_ He begins to wrap a few bandages around the blob, silently wishing to every star that this would be enough. He spends an hour like this, fretting over this person. Wrapping bandages, checking for fever, hoping that they'll pull through, and everyone watches with bated breath.

After an hour, the child's patient is covered in bandages. Kirby falls onto his back and a sigh whooshes out of him. "Hey," he says after a moment, "can you guys help me with... one more thing?"

Aivey tilts their head. "What is it?"

Kirby stands back up. "Can you help me take this person to my house? They deserve to sleep in a real bed."

Aivey nods, as well as most of the other people there. "Right, we can't just leave it here out in the open and stuff," the Poppy Bro Jr. agrees.

Kirby's eyes sparkle with gratitude. "I can't thank you guys enough!"

Very carefully, he slid his stubby little arms under the blob and lifted them up. "Would you mind opening the door for me when we get there?"

Aivey and the Bronto Burt help lift the blob up, as well, and the Poppy Bro Jr nods. "I'll do it, sure!" And so, the six of them trotted off back towards Kirby's house.

Once they get there, they carry the blob _very_ _carefully_ into the house, and Kirby tells the two helping to set them on his bed gently. They do, but then the Bronto Burt raises an eyebrow and tilts their head. "But where will _you_ sleep, Kirby?"

"The floor's pretty warm, right? I can't leave this person alone. If their condition gets worse while I'm not here..." Kirby puts a nub up to his cheek and looks over at his new guest.

"Yeah, but--" the Poppy Bro Jr. starts, but shakes his head. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Well... We'll see you around then, right?"

"Yup! See you around! Thank you guys for everything!" Kirby beams at them and hurries them out of his house. Once everyone is out, he closes the door gently, and as soon as he's sure his guests are gone, he drops his cool act.

"WHAT WAS I _THINKING_!?" He cries. "I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT MEDICINE AND STUFF! WHAT AM I GONNA-- WHAT CAN I EVEN--"

After a moment, Kirby sighs and turns to his guest. Their chest rises and falls in a gentle rhythm, moving to the beat of their heart. He wipes sweat off of his brow. Good. He sits down on the ground. Time marches on, but even so nothing seems to be wrong. As the minutes go by, his tiny eyelids begin to fall, until at last he falls asleep with the sun's fading light shining through the blinds.


	2. In the Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the Dark Matter Swordsman wakes up, Kirby gets to know his guest a little better than before. As they come to, they are overwhelmed by new sensations: emotions and feelings. On top of all that, they're face-to-face with the very person who struck them down, Kirby! Will Kirby be able to help them, or even understand what's happening to them? Will the Dark Matter be able to face their fears and trust Kirby at all? Will they be able to communicate?

The hazy afternoon sun shines through Kirby's window, and Aivey knocks on his door gently. "Kirby?" When they receive no response, they open the door and enter, to find Kirby curled up into a ball on the floor, clinging to a pillow. His tiny chest rises and falls in deep sleep. After a bit, his eyes open as sunlight floods into the house, and he sits up.

"Oh... Hi, Aivey!" Kirby mumbles.

"Mornin'," Aivey chuckles. "How's the doctor's patient doing, hmm? Looks like they're still asleep."

Kirby turns to his guest. "Yeah... They've been asleep since yesterday." He picks himself off of the floor and gathers his pillow.

"Hmm. Well, good thing." Aivey nods. "Wouldn't want them to try to run off or something while we're trying to help, right? They could get themself hurt even more."

"Right. How about breakfast? I think I've got something lying around..." Kirby climbs up on a stool and fishes through his cupboards.

"Oh, that sounds great!" Aivey chimes. "I, uh, actually brought something myself to share!"

"Watcha' got?" Kirby asks absentmindedly.

"Well, I picked some apples..." Aivey pulls their parasol off of their back and open it, revealing a handful of apples through the folds.

"Great! I've still got some leftover pie crust from yesterday! How about some apple pie?" Kirby suggests.

"Sounds wonderful! Anyone knows you make a mean apple pie." Aivey nods.

Kirby giggles. "Aw, shucks! I try my best." He says, rubbing the back of his head. He unloads half of the spice cabinet out onto the table, as well as eggs, milk and other essentials. "The tv remote's on the nightstand. This might take a while."

"Oh, but I want to help!" Aivey chimes. "I wouldn't want you to have to do all the work on your own. Not while I'm here, anyways."

Kirby sets a bowl on the counter. "Really? Then could you do me a favor and help me cut those apples? You sure got a lot."

"No problem! Where're the knives?" Aivey asks, searching through a random drawer.

...

Soon, the sweet smell of cinnamon and sugar fills the house. Kirby always _did_ love the smell of a pie in the making. He savors the smell and sighs dreamily.

"Boy, this is really coming along!" Aivey rubs their nubs together in anticipation. "...What should we do while we wait?"

Kirby stretches. "How about some board games? I found this new one yesterday while I was grocery shopping."

Before Aivey can respond, a deep mixture of a grumble and a groan comes from Kirby's bed and Aivey turns to face the noise. "Ah-- Sounds like your _other_ guest is getting up, too!"

Kirby hurries over to the stranger's bedside. "Good morning. How did you sleep?" he whispers.

The stranger doesn't respond for a moment, but then slowly opens their eye. Aivey jumps back in surprise. "Wh--!"

"Shhh! You'll scare them!" Kirby hisses, but then he pauses. "S-sorry... I shouldn't have snapped."

After squinting for a moment, saying nothing, the stranger's jade green eye snaps open and they scramble to get upright. Subconsciously, they wrap Kirby's blanket around them like a cape... And they're the spitting image the Dark Matter Swordsman Kirby fought just days before. Well, if the Swordsman had worn a green blanket covered in yellow, five pointed stars. The late morning light shone through the blinds, illuminating the guest's true nature. And then Kirby was there again, falling through the sky, fighting for his life. Everyone's lives. A bright green eye stared him down.

Only something was different. Last time the two danced, they held him in a cold and unforgiving gaze. This time around, however...

"Aivey... I need you to listen very carefully."

"Y-yeah?" Aivey squeaks.

"Go straight home. Lock your door and close the windows. I-If I don't call you in the next hour, go get King Dedede. He'll know what to do."

Aivey nods quickly, and bolts for the door.

...

The Swordsman stares down at Kirby with a trembling gaze. Kirby takes a step back. He had no idea what he was doing. But he couldn't let them know that. If their intentions hadn't changed, then he needs to be on his guard. Very slowly, he takes a step forward. The Swordsman tries to back up even further, but bumps into the wall. They glance at the wall quickly, then shoot their gaze back at Kirby.

"Listen... I'm not going to hurt you..." Kirby's heart pounds in his chest. Everything is deathly silent. "We... We don't have to fight again... Okay? So let's just... Talk this out."

The Swordsman simply floats there silently, frozen and trembling in fear.

Kirby takes a deep breath. "Can you... understand me?"

After a moment, the Swordsman blinks dazedly. Then, they nod quickly, but look left and right for an escape route.

"C-calm down... I won't hurt you." Kirby says in a hushed whisper. "I don't want to fight anymore, okay?" Sweat beads on his temples. This was a horrible idea, and yet... Seeing this person so upset, so scared, it made a pang go through his heart.

The Swordsman widens their eye at Kirby and stare down at him for a few minutes... Then nods slowly and shakily. It seems they don't want to fight, either. Unarmed, injured, and exceedingly confused, there's just no point in it anymore.

Kirby gives a sigh of relief. He didn't even realize that he was holding his breath until now. "Oh, good! I was so _scared_ for a moment there!" He chuckles. His heartbeat slows back to a normal pace.  _Thank the stars._

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Kirby rifles around in his trunk. "Where is it... Aha!" He triumphantly holds a phone in the air then punches in Aivey's number. "Hello? Yeah, it's me... No no, I'm fine! Everything's... Everything's fine," he sighs.

"...Wait, the pie? What do you m-- o-oh my stars, _the **pie**!_ "


	3. A Cloudy Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a misunderstanding leads the Dark Matter to flee, Kirby follows them into the forest to clear things up. Will they be able to get through this together? How will Dark Matter settle down, if they can? Will the Dark Matter Swordsman learn how to identify and control their newly found emotions? Will new positive emotions ever come over their overwhelming negative ones?

"...Maybe we can... salvage this?" Aivey asks hopefully, looking over at the charred pie on the counter. "I-I mean, if we scrape of the charred part, it should be alright underneath, r-right...?"

Kirby inspects the burnt pastry. "It's worth a shot! I'm not losing a whole pie!" He says, clenching his nubs with determination. He yanks open a drawer and whips out a spoon. "Beginning crust removal!" He chimes.

Having calmed down some in the hour since Kirby had called his friend, the Dark Matter floats over to the two and tilts their head at the scene. "Oh!" Aivey says. "You want to help? Maybe a knife would work for this, too..." They rummage around in the drawer, then triumphantly pull out a butter knife.

The Dark Matter backs up, eye wide at the small blade. All that reassuring Kirby did that he didn't want to fight anymore... Right out the window.

Kirby stumbles back. "H-Hey! What's the matter?"

The Dark Matter says nothing, but continue to stare at the knife, trembling. "Huh?" Aivey looks at the butter knife, as well. "I-it's just a butter knife-- it can't hurt you..." Aivey takes a step towards the Dark Matter, but they float a bit back.

 **"No, nonono..."** The Dark Matter mutters in a deep, grumbly voice. Their eye darts around, looking for an exit once again... Unfortunately, Aivey had left the door open when they came in, so the Dark Matter bolts right out and slams the door behind them.

"Wait! Come back!" Kirby cries. The poor thing barely had time to recover! He couldn't let them get hurt again. He couldn't! He swings open the door and races down the hill his house was built on.

The Dark Matter sprints through the air, glancing back at Kirby. They hurry into the forest, to the comforting shade of the trees.

"C-come back!" Kirby calls. "I wasn't going to hurt you! I _promise_!" The Dark Matter continues hurrying along and ignores what Kirby says. It isn't until they tire themself out that they slow down to a stop in an opening in the woods and lie on the ground, crying. "Stop... Please... Hoooo!" Kirby slows to a stop. "Hey... Are you okay, buddy?" The Dark Matter only whimpers in response, curling up into a ball. Very carefully, Kirby places a hand on their shoulder. "Hey... It's okay now... When I said I didn't want to fight anymore, I meant it."

They sniffle and let out an ugly sounding sob. **"I-I... I just... I do not... understand... How... How do you... live...?"**

Kirby tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

 **"S-so much pain... Sensation..."**  they mutter,  **"how do you... survive it all...?"**

Kirby sits down before them in the grass. "It's hard... You hurt and you cry and you struggle..." He sighs. "But there's so much _more_ out there than pain. Joy... Love... Laughter..."

The Dark Matter simply lies there, silent. Then, after a few moments of thought, they speak up again.  **"...Can you... Teach me?"**

Kirby gives a reassuring smile. "O-Of course! I can teach you all sorts of things!"

They let out a mixture of a huff and a hum and Kirby turns his head up to the clouds. "Look."

The Dark Matter turns over and lies on their back, eye turned upwards. The sky is a bright blue, spotted and splotched with fluffy, white clouds. The breeze carries them all along at a steady pace.

"Isn't it pretty?" Kirby asks, staring at the clouds passing by.

 **"'Pretty'...? Hmm. I... I cannot tell."**  The Dark Matter pauses.  **"But... There _is_ this... _something_. I cannot describe it..."**

 Kirby giggles. "You've got a lot to learn."

 **"Clearly,"** they groan, sighing.

...

After an hour or so, the door to Kirby's house creaks open and the two enter the house again. "Oh! You're back!" Aivey chimes. "Eheh... Sorry about the knife thing..." They rub the back of their head. "A-anyhow, I started working on getting the burned bits off of the pie! It's... a lot trickier than I thought it'd be."

Kirby gives a reassuring smile. "That's alright, we can try together again!"

The Dark Matter glances at the pile of blackened crust pieces near the pie. **"...You are not going to... _Discard_ that, are you?"**

"Uh... yeah?" Aivey raises a nonexistent eyebrow. "I was going to once I was all done."

The Dark Matter floats over to the dark crumbs and one of them floats up as if picked up by an invisible hand. Their midsection splits open, like a large, jagged mouth, and they toss the piece in as Kirby and Aivey watch, eyes wide in shock.

"Woah!" Kirby gasps. "How did you _do_ that!?"

 **"Hmm?"**  The Dark Matter asks, turning back to Kirby.  **"Well, you need to eat, too, do you not?"**

"I just..." Kirby shuffles closer to the Dark Matter. "It's... It's..." His eyes sparkle with wonder. "It's so _COOL_!"

 **"'Cool'..."** The Dark Matter echoes. **"Is that... a good thing?"**

"Yeah! It's very good!" Kirby chimes.

 **"Hmm!"** The Dark Matter nods. **"Then I will try to be as 'cool' as I can possibly be."** After they grab a second piece of burnt crust and eat it, they speak up again.  **"...In any case, please do not throw out this... Whatever this is."**

"Huh?" Aivey tilts their head. "Why? They're all burnt and ruined."

The Dark Matter picks up a third piece and eats it. **"What?"**

"Are you sure you want that? it's burnt..." Kirby puts a nub up to his mouth.

 **"I want--"** The Dark Matter pops yet _another_ piece into their mouth and completely eats it-- **"to finish these. It is quite... Something. I do not know what this is, but I want to continue."**

"I-If you say so..." Aivey shrugs, chuckling. "Glad at least someone gets to enjoy it!" And so, Kirby and Aivey continue to scrape off the rest of the burned parts of the pie, the Dark Matter eats their fill, and Kirby and Aivey can finally enjoy their pie.


	4. Let's Figure This Out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dark Matter Swordsman makes an attempt to learn more about Kirby's world. However, they accidentally learn more about themself as a result... When will Kirby learn anything about THEM? Will they ever reveal anything to Kirby about who they are, where they came from, or why they're here?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooo boy, getting back into the swing of things with this!
> 
> Edit: shit goddamn I thought the 4th chapter was saved as a draft and not published yet I am so sorry if you thought that was the finished thing it was Not and I should have looked more carefully. maybe ao3 publishes drafted chapters after a while and I didn't know? either way this is the Real 4th Chapter and the one that was here before is Not
> 
> Edit to the edit: Apparently I actually DID publish the previous version of the chapter as a finished product and just forgot that I published it. Still, have this new and improved version of the chapter, then!

The sky is nearly clear, but dotted with small, fluffy white clouds once again. In a way, the sky reflects the ground-- just like the clouds in the sky, the field Kirby and the Dark Matter lounge in is spotted in flowers. A small breeze ruffles the grass and the Dark Matter's hair. As they shudder and turn away from the wind, a small pink flower beside them catches their eye.

 **"How odd,"** they think aloud. They know they've seen this sort of organism before, and yet... They can't access the Knowledge anymore. **"Say, Kirby?"** They pick the plant from the ground and turn to show it to Kirby. **"What is this _called_?"**

Kirby glances up from the daisies he was weaving together. "That's a flower," he says. "They grow everywhere here."

 **"I knew _that_ , I just did not know what it was _called_..."** The Dark Matter sighs and looks intently at the flower. **"Flower, huh. Floooowweeerrrr."**  They nod, seemingly satisfied by the word, then turn back to Kirby.  **"And what is this land called? As I must stay here from now on I ought to know, correct?"**

"I guess." Kirby smiles. "This country is called Dreamland, and it's ruled by King Dedede. He's... kind of a jerk, but I think I'm really getting through to him!"

The Dark Matter freezes up at the mention of Dreamland's ruler, but is silent for a moment. _King Dedede..._ The name seems almost familiar... Oh... oh right...

* * *

_The Swordsman's glare rests upon the so-called 'king', who tries to stare them down with that fire in his eyes... " **How disgusting,"** they mutter. **"You passionate, bumbling beings... You feel all these emotions that will push you one way or the other, overriding logic. How do you even live with all these meaningless sensations?"**_

_"How do **you** live without 'em?!" The king takes a leap with his hammer at the Swordsman, who calmly rolls out of the way. "Livin' a life with no will drivin' ya?! What's the point of it all, then?!"_

**_"We receive our power from the overseer, Zero, the master of us all."_ ** _The Swordsman drifts around the king in a circle, like a predator stalking its prey._ ** _"_** ** _You know this struggle is in vain, do you not? We can only be defeated with the Rainbow Sword, which now has its parts scattered about these islands..."_ **

_"All the same. If I go down, I won't go without a fight." The king smirks. "That's just how King Dedede dede-does." With a hearty battle cry, the king charges straight for the Swordsman, who stands completely still. **How...**_ **convenient** _**.**  Upon contact, the Swordsman vanishes into a puff of smoke and the king freezes._

 **_"What a fool you are."_**   _The king hears the Swordsman's voice, but they're nowhere to be found. **"But even fools** **tire** **. Ought you...** **rest** **?"**_

_A pang of fatigue suddenly weighs down on the king, and he realizes what's going on. "You... You think you can control me?! I-I'm the king! I... I do all the controllin' 'round here!" But his complaints are to no avail, and outside of his own will he stumbles towards his own bed. "You... won't get away with this..." he mutters. "Even if you take me, **Kirby** 'll always be here to set things right..."_

**_"Hush, child. The night will come shortly."_ **

_There was a struggle for some time, but now the king's strength is sapped. "...Fine. But... before I go..." The king yawns, "There's just... one little thin'... you need to know." He chuckles sadly as the Swordsman tucks him into bed. "There's... There's a difference... between bein' **alive**... and  **livin'**."_

**_And thus, King Dedede rests._ **

* * *

**"King Dedede..."**  The Dark Matter echoes Kirby's words.  **"That... That is the being I... possessed."** They look down at the ground. Another strange, unfamiliar sensation suddenly flows through them, making them want to... cover their face for some reason. To hide away from Kirby and his friends. Surely the Dark Matter doesn't deserve them, after all, especially not the sheer mercy they've received from Kirby...

Kirby's smile fades as Dark Matter recoils. "H-Hey... Are you okay?" He asks, scooching closer.

 **"...Why do you bother with me, Kirby...?"** Another breeze rustles the grass. **"I have done you nothing but harm."**

"Well..." Kirby rests a flower crown on their head. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

As Kirby bestows his gift on top of the Dark Matter's hair, they gasp, glancing up at the crown. **"Is that all there is to it...?"** A second chance... Their eye brims with tears and they begin to tremble.

"I think so. If you really want to change then nothing's stopping you, right?" His hopeful smile and shining eyes hold the Dark Matter in a loving gaze.

 **"Surely it cannot be... _that_ simple."** And yet, here was _Kirby_ of all people saying this, the very person who they fought against... The Dark Matter sighs.  **"But I will yet try my best."**

Kirby's tiny pink hand reaches for their face. "Thank you. _That's all I could ever wish for._ "


	5. Midnight Snacks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirby and co. has a picnic in the middle of the night on top of Kirby's house. With Kirby's help the Dark Matter decides more about their identity and learns more about how things work in Dream Land. Slowly but surely, Dark Matter is beginning to find a new home amongst friends in this still unfamiliar territory...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not doing the questions thing in the summary anymore, it just brought needless suspense (and most of the time the questions aren't even answered in the chapter anyways).
> 
> Also, thanks for 30 kudos!

Kirby loves the stars. He loves the way they sparkle with their gentle light, enveloping the dark night sky with their shining embrace. He loves naming constellations, he loves looking at them through his telescope, but most of all he loves having picnics under them in the middle of the night, when certain waddle dees should be sleeping. And tonight is no better night to do such a thing, as Kirby and his two new friends sit atop his house, looking up at the sky. The Dark Matter noticed that was something they do a lot lately, after all, though they didn't realize why. However, seeing so many stars above them makes them feel oddly... _small_. Especially now that they were left all alone...

Kirby leans into his new friend, breaking them from their train of thought. "Aren't the stars beautiful?"

**"I don't--"**

"Yeah..." Aivey interrupts. "Apparently beautiful enough for you to wake me up _in the middle of the night,_ " they grumble, rubbing their eyes. The poor waddle dee had been awoken so abruptly to join Kirby and his new friend on a picnic that they had even forgotten to take off their nightcap, which was covered in a flowery pattern.

Kirby turns to Aivey, his face cracking into a smile. "Yup! I wouldn't want you to miss a night like _this_!"

"Ugh... H-how can--" Aivey yawns-- "how can you two stay _up_ this late, anyways? I mean, I know _you_ , Kirby, but what about...?" They glance over to the Dark Matter. "Err, you've got a name, right? You haven't told us what it is yet, if you do."

 **"I am-- _was_ Swordsman Matter Faction 43 Member 614. But now, given this current... _situation_... I no longer have a name at all."** The Dark Matter says plainly, glancing up at the sky.

"Well, I guess we could still call you Matter... Faction... uh...  _what_?" Aivey asks, tilting their head to the side.

The Dark Matter shakes their head. **"I no longer use a sword. That would make no sense if I was still named for it. Plus... being associated with my former brethren _will_ bring conflict. I know this world that much."**

Kirby's mind glazes over at the Dark Matter's words. "That's right... Plus, I don't know if I could remember all that, anyways." He rubs the back of his head and chuckles nervously. After a moment of thought, he clasped his hands together. "I know! Let's come up with a name for you!"

The Dark Matter blinks. **"Come up with a name for me...? You mean... I get to change something like that...?"**

"Of course! Let's think of a good one!" Kirby chimes, grinning.

"Hmm..." Aivey puts a nub on their chin. "Well, you already said you can't be named after swords... This _is_ kinda tough."

Kirby sits back, staring up at the skies. A name... What's in a name? So much meaning. It's one of the first things you hear about a person. It's what a parent whispers when they first look upon their child, beholding the newcomer in this wide, wonderful world. It's what your love says as you hold them in your arms, gazing into their eyes and seeing joy itself look back. It's what your friend cries out through tears, chanting it like a spell to summon you when they need you most. So much in just a single word...

"...How about Jones?" Kirby suggests.

The Dark Matter glances down, pondering.  **"...Jones...? I... Guess so..."**

"No, no," Aivey shakes their head, "you can't just 'guess so.' A name needs to be something you're _sure_ of. It took me some time before I was sure of my name..."

"Hmmm.... You're right, Aivey. It needs to be something _really_ special..." Kirby turns to look at the Dark Matter. Their single eye holds him in an unsure gaze. He can see so many things. Pain and suffering, but also curiosity and hope. All in one jade colored eye... "Jade!" He clapped. "How does Jade sound?"

 **"Jade...?"**  The Dark Matter blinks, then hums in thought.  **"Jade. Jaaaade... Jade!"** The Dark Matter nods. **"Yes, that is sufficient."**

Kirby smiles. "Jade it is, then!"

"Great, good thing that's settled." Aivey nods sleepily. "Now, let's dig into this picnic so it can get finished so I can go home and back to _bed_."


End file.
